12 miles in the Olympic mountains. I ran into a black bear this morning. Came around a bend in the road and it was eating berries about 20 feet away from me. After I stopped and got my heart back into my chest, I watched him stand up on his hind legs and sniff the air, look me over, and decide I wasn't interesting enough to eat. He continued up the hill into the woods, eating berries along the way.
A little while later I came across an elk herd of about 20-25. I've never seen one before. Boy, they are monstrous! I love these mountains, I'll have to come back more often. | 